In 2018, while lying in a hospital bed, Sabrina Walker Hernandez launched Supporting World Hope to help organizations provide hope for the world. As the business grew, Walker Hernandez realized her expertise and passion were working with teams, providing strategic planning, board education, and leadership development. She is currently rebranding her business to reflect this as Building Better Boards.
“A lot of people hear Supporting World Hope and think it is itself a nonprofit. It does ring true to sound like a nonprofit,” said Walker Hernandez. “In evolving and realizing what your zone of expertise is, what I love to do, is working with teams.”
With 28 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and serving on various boards, Walker Hernandez has experienced effective and ineffective boards. One main challenge she sees, whether on nonprofit or corporate boards, is the lack of a board journey. New members are often brought onto a board with an interview but no other orientation. There is no training on how to use the members’ skills or network to better the organization.
“Oftentimes, there is no board journey,” said Walker Hernandez. “They’ll bring you in, and your development stops there. There’s no intentionality on how to get the new member really excited about what we do so that we can get the best out of them for the recommendations that they have.”
Successful boards require transparency with prospective board members. Knowing when the board meets and having a consistent meeting time helps determine whether the prospective board member has the time to serve. Strategic planning and nonprofit fundraising expectations should also be discussed during the recruitment process. Perspective members should know whether the board is an advisory board or a governance board and whether a governance board has officer’s liability and director’s insurance.
“As an individual member of a governance board, you’re legally responsible for that organization,” said Walker Hernandez. “People think ‘no one would sue a nonprofit.’ They have, and when the organization doesn’t have that insurance, they go after the individual board members.”
When Walker Hernandez walks into a boardroom as a consultant, a common need is to define the roles and responsibilities of the board members. Board members have three main roles: trusteeship, oversight, and necessary resources. Trusteeship involves strategic planning and having a vision for the organization. Oversight consists of safeguarding the organization from risk management and lawsuits. Ensuring necessary resources includes having the right CEO and fundraising for nonprofits.
“Most board members don’t know their roles and responsibilities,” Walker Hernandez said. “We have this vision, we have this strategy, how are we going to fundraise to get there? When I walk in, that is what most boards don’t get — their roles and responsibilities.”
Walker Hernandez emphasizes the importance of a strong partnership between the board and the CEO for organizational success. When a CEO states, I only need you to fundraise, not strategize — stay out of my day-to-day, they risk alienating board members. Conversely, the board and its members should avoid micromanaging the organization’s operations.
“To go further, you need a good team. Whether it is a corporate board or a nonprofit board, a lot of CEOs struggle with boards,” Walker Hernandez said. “So that relationship, the CEO and board partnership, is a red flag that I see.”
Walker Hernandez advises boards to use their bylaws as a tool. Many organizations only look at their bylaws when they organize or join the board. Bylaws can state term limits, fundraising goals, and other expectations for board members. These expectations can then be used for self-evaluations to weed out ineffective board members.
“Can y’all please stop just putting those bylaws on your shelf and not looking at them? Your bylaws can say whatever you want it to say,” said Walker Hernandez. “If it’s important to you, put it in the bylaws.”
Through Building Better Boards, Hernandez offers strategic planning, board and leadership retreats, board and staff education, coaching, and keynote speaking. She can be reached on LinkedIn and at BuildingBetterBoards.com.
